Food distribution normally refers to the physical flow and storage of products from the point of production to customers or end users excluding the initial stages of the supply chain[1] . Many food items are perishables, which poses certain special requirements to the distribution, such as temperature control throughout the process (1), while maintaining the prices at an affordable level [2] . At normal circumstances this flow of food can be optimised to certain extent thanks to the somewhat predictable demand [3] . However, since food distribution is heavily dependent on the energy and transportation infrastructure, maintaining the food distribution system for instance after a natural disaster is a more problematic situation even in countries with a high level of food security ([4] , 3).
Critique
From a global perspective, food is distributed unevenly as some are suffering from lack of food while some are wasting and over-consuming food (3, [5] ). Food and Agriculture Organization further argues that over one billion people are undernourished, which is not caused by limited food resources in the world, but by an uneven distribution of those resources. [6] Currently, food is being produced each day enough to provide every person in the world with 2700 kilocalories per day, which is more than the average requirement. This is part of the reason why some argue that hunger should be addressed by rethinking the entire food production system including the food distribution instead of increasing the supply (3).
The uneven distribution of food has been criticized extensively. Much of the criticism is focused on policies, but recently the especially the use of biofuels has been criticized. The diverting of crops and farmland for biofuels such as biodiesel or ethanol is seen as detrimental to the world food supply.
The uneven distribution of food resources and seeds is also salient for example in the privatization of biotechnology. Privatization has been a long-debated aspect of food distribution [7] and has become more prominent as chemical companies such as Monsanto, Dow and DuPont have become household names. The practice of trademarking plants has been criticized as unsustainable and increasing inequalities.
In addition to the criticism faced by the uneven distribution of food resources in the world, the logistical aspects of food distribution can also be debated, as the current distribution systems may contribute excessively to climate change.
The video below discusses some of these major problems related to food distribution, and the inequalities between different parts of the World.
Challenges related to Food Distribution
One of the reasons attributed to the existing inadequate distribution of food are for example challenges in the public distribution mechanisms (PDMs). In some cases, in order to qualify for public food distribution systems, one must, by some definition, be below poverty line. This line however, is arbitrary and varies from state to state [8] .
According to FAO [9] middle- and high income families tend to shop at supermarkets, while low income families purchase food items from local public markets. These public markets often lack professional management, legal status, and adequate hygiene. However, informal markets and street sales are a source of low-cost food items for low-income families. Many African cities even lack altogether wholesale market facilities. Therefore, in addition to equality, challenges related to food distribution include quality, safety and sustainability of food. [10]
Relation to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The concept of food distribution is related to many of the United Nations SDGs, such as SDG 2, SDG 10, and SDG 11. Even though food distribution is not explicitly mentioned in the SDG2: zero hunger, it is closely linked to the SDG 2's target of guaranteeing access to sufficient amount of food for everyone [11] . In, addition food distribution, and especially more even distribution of food, would address SDG 10: reduced inequalities, since it aims at reducing social and economical inequality within and between nations (9). Rapid urbanization poses certain problems for supplying the tensely populated areas with enough of basic supplies such as food, which is one of the concerns of SDG 11: sustainable cities (9). Food distribution needs to adapt to the challenges big cities bring along.
Organizational Illustrations
One of the largest organizations in the world that is dedicated to preventing global food crises is Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAO is a branch of the United Nations and works to improve global food distribution. In humanitarian crises, there often are multiple UN clusters helping with the distribution of food, clean water as well as providing shelter. Inter-Cluster Working Group helps to organize and prioritize the operations between clusters. In terms of food distribution, logistics cluster and WFP Logistics have a pivotal role in providing coordination, logistics services and information in humanitarian crises.
As mentioned, food distribution is not only problematic in developing countries or during natural disasters, but also rapidly growing cities complicates the effective and sufficient distribution of food (9). In order to optimize their distribution channels in terms of environmental effect, costs, and availability, a French supermarket chain, has made several adjustments especially to their last-mile distribution scheme. Monoprix is utilizing a cenralized distribution strategy, while making use of rail transport and natural gas vehicles as much as possible. This way they have cut down their emissions significantly. [12]
Examples from Finland
In Finnish context, there are a handful of companies that are trying to find alternative ways to distribute food that would otherwise go to waste. For instance, Restaurant Loop has an ambition of offering high quality meals made out of super markets' waste food [13] . It is organized in cooperation with a Finnish non-profit organization From Waste to Taste and the European Union (13). From Waste to Taste donates 90 % of the food to charity, whereas the rest is prepared in Restaurant Loop and served by the young, unemployed, and refugees (13). Moreover, ResQ Club and Lunchie, offer an easy way for restaurants and cafeterias to distribute the portions that would otherwise go to waste by offering a mobile application platform [14][15] . Neighbourfood is a newly founded company that brings the individual families into the food distribution scheme, by offering a mobile app for making offers of left over portions of home made meals [16] . The person selling the food don't get any payment but instead 70% of the price is donated to the Finnish Red Cross and rest is allocated to running costs of the company (e.g. paying methods) (16).
Tuure Parkkinen, CEO of ResQ Club discusses more about their business and how the distribution network works in the video below.
^ Akkerman, R., Farahani, P. & Grunow, M. (2010). Quality, safety and sustainability in food distribution: a review of quantitative operations management approaches and challenges. OR Spectrum, 32, pp. 863-904.
^ Besnon, D. & Whitehead, G. (2013). Transport and Distribution. Elsevier Science, Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [26 March 2017]
^ Pullman, M. & Wu, Z. (2012). Food Supply Chain Management. Taylor and Francis, Florence. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [26 March 2017]
^ Paci-Green, R. & Berardi, G. (2015). Do global food systems have an Achilles heel? The potential for regional food systems to support resilience in regional disaster. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 5, pp. 685-698.
^ Carr, J., D’Odorico, P., Suweis, S., Seekel, D. (2016). What commodities and countries impact equality in the global food system? Environmental Research Letter, 11, pp. 1-11.
^ Jordan, M. (2000). Privatization of Food: Corporate Control of Biotechnology. Agronomy Journal. 92(1) pp. 803-806.
^ Upadhyay, R. and Palanivel, C. (2011) Challenges in Achieving Food Security in India. Iranian Journal of Public Health. 40(4) pp. 31-36.
^ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (1999.) Urban Food Security and Food Marketing. A Challenge to City and Local Authorities. Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division. Available at : http://www.fao.org/3/a-x6971e.pdf [29 March 2017]
^ Akkerman, R., Farani, P. and Grunow. M. (2010). Quality safety and sustainability in food distribution: a review of quantitative operations management approaches and challenges. Organizational Research Spectrum. 32 (4) pp. 863-904.
^ Delaitre, L. & Barbeyrac, C. (2012). Improving an urban distribution centre, the French case of Samada Monoprix. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 39, pp. 753-769. Available at: < http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187704281200612X> Accessed: 11.4.2017.
Food distribution normally refers to the physical flow and storage of products from the point of production to customers or end users excluding the initial stages of the supply chain[1] . Many food items are perishables, which poses certain special requirements to the distribution, such as temperature control throughout the process (1), while maintaining the prices at an affordable level [2] . At normal circumstances this flow of food can be optimised to certain extent thanks to the somewhat predictable demand [3] . However, since food distribution is heavily dependent on the energy and transportation infrastructure, maintaining the food distribution system for instance after a natural disaster is a more problematic situation even in countries with a high level of food security ([4] , 3).
Critique
From a global perspective, food is distributed unevenly as some are suffering from lack of food while some are wasting and over-consuming food (3, [5] ). Food and Agriculture Organization further argues that over one billion people are undernourished, which is not caused by limited food resources in the world, but by an uneven distribution of those resources. [6] Currently, food is being produced each day enough to provide every person in the world with 2700 kilocalories per day, which is more than the average requirement. This is part of the reason why some argue that hunger should be addressed by rethinking the entire food production system including the food distribution instead of increasing the supply (3).
The uneven distribution of food has been criticized extensively. Much of the criticism is focused on policies, but recently the especially the use of biofuels has been criticized. The diverting of crops and farmland for biofuels such as biodiesel or ethanol is seen as detrimental to the world food supply.
The uneven distribution of food resources and seeds is also salient for example in the privatization of biotechnology. Privatization has been a long-debated aspect of food distribution [7] and has become more prominent as chemical companies such as Monsanto, Dow and DuPont have become household names. The practice of trademarking plants has been criticized as unsustainable and increasing inequalities.
In addition to the criticism faced by the uneven distribution of food resources in the world, the logistical aspects of food distribution can also be debated, as the current distribution systems may contribute excessively to climate change.
The video below discusses some of these major problems related to food distribution, and the inequalities between different parts of the World.
Challenges related to Food Distribution
One of the reasons attributed to the existing inadequate distribution of food are for example challenges in the public distribution mechanisms (PDMs). In some cases, in order to qualify for public food distribution systems, one must, by some definition, be below poverty line. This line however, is arbitrary and varies from state to state [8] .
According to FAO [9] middle- and high income families tend to shop at supermarkets, while low income families purchase food items from local public markets. These public markets often lack professional management, legal status, and adequate hygiene. However, informal markets and street sales are a source of low-cost food items for low-income families. Many African cities even lack altogether wholesale market facilities. Therefore, in addition to equality, challenges related to food distribution include quality, safety and sustainability of food. [10]
Relation to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The concept of food distribution is related to many of the United Nations SDGs, such as SDG 2, SDG 10, and SDG 11. Even though food distribution is not explicitly mentioned in the SDG2: zero hunger, it is closely linked to the SDG 2's target of guaranteeing access to sufficient amount of food for everyone [11] . In, addition food distribution, and especially more even distribution of food, would address SDG 10: reduced inequalities, since it aims at reducing social and economical inequality within and between nations (9). Rapid urbanization poses certain problems for supplying the tensely populated areas with enough of basic supplies such as food, which is one of the concerns of SDG 11: sustainable cities (9). Food distribution needs to adapt to the challenges big cities bring along.
Organizational Illustrations
One of the largest organizations in the world that is dedicated to preventing global food crises is Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAO is a branch of the United Nations and works to improve global food distribution. In humanitarian crises, there often are multiple UN clusters helping with the distribution of food, clean water as well as providing shelter. Inter-Cluster Working Group helps to organize and prioritize the operations between clusters. In terms of food distribution, logistics cluster and WFP Logistics have a pivotal role in providing coordination, logistics services and information in humanitarian crises.
As mentioned, food distribution is not only problematic in developing countries or during natural disasters, but also rapidly growing cities complicates the effective and sufficient distribution of food (9). In order to optimize their distribution channels in terms of environmental effect, costs, and availability, a French supermarket chain, has made several adjustments especially to their last-mile distribution scheme. Monoprix is utilizing a cenralized distribution strategy, while making use of rail transport and natural gas vehicles as much as possible. This way they have cut down their emissions significantly. [12]
Examples from Finland
In Finnish context, there are a handful of companies that are trying to find alternative ways to distribute food that would otherwise go to waste. For instance, Restaurant Loop has an ambition of offering high quality meals made out of super markets' waste food [13] . It is organized in cooperation with a Finnish non-profit organization From Waste to Taste and the European Union (13). From Waste to Taste donates 90 % of the food to charity, whereas the rest is prepared in Restaurant Loop and served by the young, unemployed, and refugees (13). Moreover, ResQ Club and Lunchie, offer an easy way for restaurants and cafeterias to distribute the portions that would otherwise go to waste by offering a mobile application platform [14] [15] . Neighbourfood is a newly founded company that brings the individual families into the food distribution scheme, by offering a mobile app for making offers of left over portions of home made meals [16] . The person selling the food don't get any payment but instead 70% of the price is donated to the Finnish Red Cross and rest is allocated to running costs of the company (e.g. paying methods) (16).
Tuure Parkkinen, CEO of ResQ Club discusses more about their business and how the distribution network works in the video below.
Open source articles
1. Walker, R., Keane, C. & Burke, J. (2010). Disparities and access to healthy food in the United States: A Review of food deserts literature. //Health & Place//, 16, pp. 876-884. Accessed: 9.4.2017.
2. Jayne, T., Strauss, J., Yamano, T. & Molla, D. (2002). Targeting food aid in rural Ethiopia: chronic need or inertia? //Journal of Development Economics//, 68, pp. 247-288. Accessed: 10.4.2017.
3. Vallianatos, M., Gottlieb, R. & Haase, M. (2004). Farm-to-school, Strategies for Urban Health, Combating Sprawl, and Establishing a Community Food System Approach. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 23, pp. 414-423. Accessed: 11.4.2017.
4. Delaitre, L. & Barbeyrac, C. (2012). Improving an urban distribution centre, the French case of Samada Monoprix. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 39, pp. 753-769. Accessed: 11.4.2017.
External links
http://www.fao.org/fcit/food-marketing/en/
http://www1.wfp.org/food-assistance
http://www.sustainabletable.org/870/food-processing-distribution
https://moveforhunger.org/
Quiz created by Mari Vesikivi with GoConqr
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/012/ak541e/ak541e00.pdf
http://www.fao.org/3/a-x6971e.pdf [29 March 2017]
<http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/> Accessed: 29.3.2017.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187704281200612X> Accessed: 11.4.2017.
<http://waste2taste.com/hanke/> Accessed: 11.4.2017.